Ashland, Kentucky Appears to be Moving Away from “Pit Bull” Ban

By Editor

In Breed-Specific Legislation

Jun 21st, 2013

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Editor’s note: Now here’s an example of a person, Ms. Akers, who, judging from a prior article, was strongly motivated to push a breed ban. But it appears as if she actually did some homework on the issue and realized, as should everyone at this point, that breed-specific legislation (BSL) in any form is ineffective and doesn’t keep communities safer, not to mention that it’s unconstitutional. Well done Ms. Akers, and well done Ashland. It seems communities are starting to realize too that they don’t propose their legislation in a vacuum. There are people all across this nation who care very much about the Constitution and the safety of their communities, which is why they lobby against BSL; they know it doesn’t reduce bites or attacks.

The city plans to strengthen enforcement of Ashland’s vicious animal ordinance.

Several commissioners and Mayor Chuck Charles said so during their Thursday meeting. Their comments followed presentations by a woman whose dog was killed recently by a neighbor’s pit bull and by an animal activist who urged commissioners not to ban specific dog breeds.

“We’re talking about beefing up the ordinance, commissioner Marty Gute said. “We love dogs, but we can’t allow irresponsible owners to be a nuisance.”

Enforcement of licensing requirements also is coming, according to commissioner Cheryl Spriggs. “We’ll get more aggressive on that,” she said.

Lorie Akers, whose chihuahua was killed by a neighbor’s pit bull earlier this month, asked the commission to target people who don’t keep their animals under control. She said dogs in some neighborhoods are chasing children and harassing adults.

“But people don’t care,” she said. She asked commissioners to “hit people where it hurts, in the wallet.”

Earlier in the week, Akers said she planned to seek a ban on pit bulls in the city, but on Thursday she told commissioners she no longer favored the ban.

Instead, she urged stronger penalties for ordinance violations and more stringent enforcement.